[xb40]

I disassembled my 39A, cleaned etc. Reassembled. The lever will open the bolt a 1/4 inch or so, and mechanically binds. I can turn the gun upside down, take some of the pressure off of the bolt, and it sounds like the carried falls. I can then open the bolt as usual. I can break the gun down and the lever will work the carrier with no binding or sticking. I have gone through every step, disasseblend and reassembled several times. No fix. I have stoned all suggested surfaces, smoothed all ruff spots. The bolt does not bind when seated by hand or with the lever. The action functions normally while held upside down(no I cannot shoot from this position). Suggestions please.
Thanks
XB

 

[Schtoolee]

Take a Quarter and use it to tighten the takedown screw. I have a 1964 39A, that if the screw isn't tight enough the gun is unusable.
Tighten it up and it works perfect.

The same thing happened when I cleaned it for the first time.

 

[xb40]

Tried the quarter, no go. Upside down only. I'm going to wear it out takeing it apart.

 

[Schtoolee]

Any chance of a picture of the insides? There are very few thing that you could have put in wrong.

 

[xb40]

I'll have some up tomorrow. Need good light.
XB

 

[xb40]

Pictures. Let me know where I may be wrong in the reassembly.
XB

 

[swany]

Oil it and work the lever upside down many times. You may just have some small thing binding and sometimes lubing fixes it. I would concentrate on the carrier, and check it thoroughly.

 

[Schtoolee]

I was looking at the pictures and didn't see anything put together wrong. I thought maybe the cartridge stop didn't look right. But I pulled mine apart and tried
without the spacer and with the spacer flipped upside down, and nether would mess up the action.

So the only thing that it could be, as Swany just mentioned, is the carrier. I am thinking the round plunger, is sticking. It should be able to push in and spring back.
Also make sure that the carrier moves freely when it is not being guided by the lever. If it isn't it is binding at the pivot point.

 

[xb40]

In an effort to eliminate parts that could be causing the problem, I removed the fireing pin, bolt still blocked; I removed the cartridge cut off, no change; I removed the carrier, and the bolt worked as it is should, smooth with problem. Is it possible that the carrier is hitting the cartridge ramp on the bolt causing it to bind, and preventing the bolt from slideing open. With a little pressure on the lever, the bolt is binding, if I tilt the gun to the left, 160 to 180 degrees, I hear something move, the only thing that can move at this point is the carrier, it clears the cartridge ramp on the bolt and the bolt can open. The carrier does not appear bent or burred and moves freely when operated with the lever while it is not attached to the receiver. Solution?
XB

 

[Schtoolee]

Well it has to be the carrier. Try blacking the bolt and carrier with a magic marker. Anywhere were they will touch. Try and cycle the action several times, and see if there are any were mark,
were they might be binding.

I guess I never asked, is this a gun that you just picked up. Or is it a gun that you have had, and has just stated doing this since you cleaned it.
If it is one that you just picked up, maybe the part of the lever that guides the carrier, is bent. Check out Swany's sticky on the the 39A.
It shows checking the lever for straightness. http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/index.php/topic,77518.0.html Pdf # 4

Any way off to Easter dinner, will check back later.

 

[xb40]

I put die marker on the lever portion that cams in the bolt. It hit the notch in the fireing pin where it should. It cams into the cartridge ramp as it should. Nothing unusual. I put the die marker on the cartridge ramp and saw no marker on the carrier. I just bought the gun. It is in excellent shape and appears to have never been opened. The grease was dried and caked and long ago lost its usfullness, however the gun worked as it should, before I "fixed it". I fooled with it for three days. I am going to lay it down, and maybe sneek up on it in a day or two. The lever is straight with no binding or rubbing, all burs removed.
XB

 

[Schtoolee]

Ok one last thing, that I can think of. Maybe your gun doesn't like being real tight. Maybe it likes somewhere in-between.
Put it back together and just snug it up with your fingers.Then try working the action. If it doesn't like that, try a little tighter and so on.

Each 39A is done by hand, and each will be a little different. Yours might like it, with the takedown screw just tight enough
to hold it together.

My 1954 Mountie is just finger tight, but my 1964 39A is as tight as you can get it. There is not a lot that could have changed
if it worked before. Hopefully this will do it.

 

[xb40]

Well guys, picked it up today, put die marker on the edge of the carrier, worked the action, broke it down, no marker on anything other than where I had put it. I put the gun together, worked the action like nothing had ever gone wrong. Works fine, but I do not trust it. Kind of like a car that left in the middle of nowhere, you can't really trust it after that. I really appriciate the help, thanks
xb